KARACHI, Aug 19: Fast-increasing legal as well as illegal commercialisation of residential bungalows and buildings is resulting in traffic congestion owing to increased vehicular activity, besides changing the character of residential neighbourhoods.

Mushroom growth of marriage halls, CNG stations, schools, hospitals, shops, car showrooms and even offices and other commercial activities on various primary and secondary roads and around main traffic intersections has not only become a permanent nuisance for the neighbourhoods, it is also burdening the infrastructure network of such localities.

Besides, the main entry points of a number of residential areas often remain choked owing to increased vehicular traffic following the setting up of CNG stations, marriage halls and schools on either side of the roads.

A random survey of the city shows that there is a tremendous increase in commercial activities along major thoroughfares and various busy roads which link towns and residential areas with one another.

A number of primary and secondary arteries where innumerable marriage halls, restaurants, schools, hospitals and CNG stations have already been set up on residential plots include North Nazimabad’s main road, University Road, Sharah-i-Pakistan, Tariq Road, Khalid Bin Waleed Road, New M.A. Jinnah Road, Ibne Hassan Jarchvi Road and another major link road from Yaseenabad to the Aisha Manzil intersection.

Commercialisation in residential neighbourhoods has assumed such an alarming proportion that one can see a number of houses located on both the primary and secondary arteries being demolished and replaced with multi-storied buildings with commercial uses on the ground floor and apartments above.